From our monthly Daily Sports column / デイリースポーツの連載コラムから
It’s funny how a couple of wins will cheer up your soul, even after a whole string of losses. The Hanshin Tigers started the year 1-15-1 and now find themselves sitting at 7-20-1 (as of April 28). Still in last and that will not change for weeks, if ever. As H-TEN, this has easily been the most frustrating season I have followed the team (and this is year 9, believe it or not!). Never has the team lost so many times so quickly and in so many heartbreaking ways. It’s enough to make a grown man cry… and even start looking for other teams to root for.
I’m not going to lie to you. It felt weird looking at other teams. It’s the same feeling a man must get when considering a relationship with a woman outside of his marriage. (At least, that’s how *I* felt – not that I know what that feels like. In my ten years of marriage, I have not once considered hooking up with another woman.) It just did not feel right. Yeah, on one hand, that other team might have things that the Tigers don’t have in 2022. Like offense. Wins. Good pitching. Solid defense. An energetic bench. The other teams look like they’re having so much fun, so why shouldn’t I join them?
I started to think to myself, “The Orix Buffaloes are the defending champs of the PL. They have some of the best pitching talent in Japan. They have two extremely talented Japanese hitters in the heart of their lineup, and young supplementary talent around them. Sure, they’re not sitting on top right now, but they sure look good! And they’re just across the river. I could easily sneak in a game or two…”
And the more the Tigers lost, the more it made sense to “start looking elsewhere.” Zorny agreed with me and created some nice logos for a mock Orix account. I was fully ready to remove the H-TEN slogan and logo from our socials and replace them with Buffaloes stuff. Sneak out of the Hanshin house, go for a short walk, and hop into bed with Orix.
But then I got a phone call out of the blue from former Baystars manager Alex Ramirez. We started talking baseball and out of frustration for the Tigers’ record, I blurted out, “What does one do as a fan when the team is losing this much? I’m ready to give up!” His response: “You gotta just stay with the team. They are trying to win and figure out what’s wrong. You can do the same thing. Think, talk about it, try to figure this out alongside them.”
It made sense. Why stop loving the team that has been my prime source of entertainment for nearly a decade now? Do I really have to STOP loving the Tigers? Can I not follow BOTH teams? The Tigers can still be my first love, but I can always cuddle up with Orix if the Tigers keep on slumping. And so, that is what we have done. I have to admit to you, it feels really weird, trying to learn about a new team and buddy-up with a new fanbase. As I am finding out, there really aren’t that many Tigers/Buffaloes fans. You either root for one or the other. They are in different leagues but the same region, so there really isn’t any harm in hoping they both succeed, is there? Well, do you know many MLB fans who like the Yankees AND the Mets? The Dodgers AND the Angels? Me neither.
Doesn’t matter. We are trying a new thing. And I shall make it known to my main squeeze. I’ll never leave you, Hanshin Tigers. But I will start seeing the Orix Buffaloes on the side. Win me back over completely if you can. And if you can’t, then O-BEN will start to become a bigger part of my life. (But I’m still score-watching the Tigers games!)